


Should Have Been Me

by GirlWithSunInHerSmile



Category: Twilight Series - All Media Types, Twilight Series - Stephenie Meyer
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-18
Updated: 2021-01-18
Packaged: 2021-03-16 11:15:35
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Major Character Death, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,017
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28830258
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GirlWithSunInHerSmile/pseuds/GirlWithSunInHerSmile
Summary: In this Twilight, witches aren't something out of fiction. A power game has been played for centuries between the witches and the vampires, and, as always, the Cullens prove to be the exception. Will Bella end up being a casualty in a battle no one wants, or will she tip the scale towards a solution?
Relationships: Carlisle Cullen/Esme Cullen, Carlisle Cullen/Original Female Character(s), Edward Cullen/Bella Swan
Kudos: 1





	Should Have Been Me

**Author's Note:**

> Obviously, I own nothing except Rebecca and Roger. I'm just playing with ideas. I wrote this under a different pen name ages ago and was inspired to redo this first chapter and restart the series. The events of the books take place 10 years after when they originally do (meaning instead of 2005, the present is in 2015).

**The Past**

"ESME! PLEASE! DON'T DO THIS!" She screamed across the barn, smoke and ash trickling into her lungs. Coughing, she struggled to reach the battling pair, watching the caramel haired woman place a kick square in the chest of the large, disheveled man. The sound of wood crackling terrified her and she just managed to duck as a larger pillar fell down from the ceiling, the fire now engulfing over half the building.

"REBECCA, GET OUT OF HERE!" Esme would have done more, would have gone over and taken the girl out of there herself, but her foe was already up again and heading towards her, his passion and rage surging together to create an opponent she'd end up having to die to kill.

"YOU CAN'T LEAVE HIM ESME! PLEASE, CARLISLE NEEDS YOU. I CAN'T BE YOU!" She heard Esme start to say something, but then a crash and a curse interrupted her, sending a chill down Rebecca's burning back. Was that it? Had Rodger gotten her? Was he ripping her limb-from-limb at that very moment? She felt herself grow weak at the idea and she fell against the banister she was next to, hearing it splinter in protest of her weight. Rebecca was struggling to breath and she could feel the smoke in her lungs. The edge of her vision was turning black, unconsciousness creeping in.

Suddenly, arms wrapped around her, startling her. She began to frail around, struggling to get free and at first ignoring the voice speaking next to her ear.

"…me Becks, I got 'ya. Calm down." The fact it was Emmett finally sunk in and with it her body slumped a bit, letting him take control, thinking he would be moving her to some place of safety and then going into the fire to help his elder. Instead, she realized he was heading out of the building, his back on what was going on further inside.

"NO! NO! NO! PUT ME DOWN! GO BACK IN THERE!" Tears started to stream down her face as she struggled once more, wanting to free up Emmett so he could go back. His solid grip tightened around her, immobilizing her and making it even harder for her to breathe. Emotion and injury caused her to start coughing, her eyes closing and watering so much she couldn't make out anything. A putrid smell suddenly filled the air, just enough to completely overwhelm her lungs and send Rebecca into a coughing spiral. A rush of voices suddenly filled the air but she was unable to make out who they were or what they were saying.

She was lifted away from Emmett and placed on the wet ground, an arm behind her neck to keep her airway propped open. She felt a mask placed over her face and gasped in the clean oxygen. Breathing in deeply, her eyes fluttered open for a second, allowing her a glimpse of what remained of the burning barn. Over the sound of blood pumping in her ears she could register a bit of what Emmett was saying.

"… too late when I got there… told me to take Becks and run… so sorry."

The fuzzy haze of impending unconsciousness started to color her vision, the adrenaline she'd been running on for what seemed like days finally starting to fade. Struggling to stay awake, she reached out to grab at whoever was holding her up, relieved when the arm on her neck turned into a whole chest for her to lie against. A cool kiss was placed against her temple, causing her heart rate and breathing to pick up, threatening to send her into hysterics again.

"Calm down Rebecca. It's ok. You're safe. I've got you."

I don't care about me. I care about Esme. I care about you. She wanted to say all of that to Carlisle, but the words couldn't come out, instead she found herself drifting into oblivion, one where she knew visions of lives before would twist and turn around her, but only a single thought seemed to radiate in her mind.

It should have been me.

**The Present-Bella's First Day**

Setting foot on the campus of Forks High School, Bella found herself immediately underwhelmed by the sight of it. It was a collection of mismatched buildings, the one unifying theme being the fact they were all undergoing some sort of construction. Tugging her bag up, she headed towards the main office, discerning its location by the large sign pointing towards the door and instructing all visitors to check in before setting foot on the property.

Considering the building it was housed in must have been nearing 50 years old, the main office was actually quite pleasant. A line of mailboxes took up one wall, while bulletin boards and decorative pieces accented the others. In the middle of the room was a large desk with an older woman sitting behind it. She was the classic example of what high school secretaries were supposed to look like, all cardigan and glasses wearing. Mrs. Shelly Cope was written out in white letters on a black plaque sitting on her desk.

"I'll be just a second dear" The woman said in acknowledgement of Bella, slipping the end of the phone she was talking into away from her mouth for a moment. Bella nodded shyly and went to sit down in the small waiting area off to the side, surprised when the seat she sat on was quite comfortable. Continuing to scan the office, she could see a few doors, each labeled to indicate their occupant. She was just getting around to reading the name of the principal when Mrs. Cope ended her conversation.

"Alright, I take it you're Chief Swan's daughter?"

"Yes ma'am." She got out nervously, smiling slightly as she came up to the desk.

"Well we're so glad to have you here and joining us. We get so few new students." Her hands moved around her desk as she grabbed a folder, Bella noticing it had her name written on it. "Alright, we have all your stuff here and ready to go… oh, no, actually, it looks like your schedule isn't here. I guess Dr. Cullen took it out to change something and forgot to put it back in." Standing up, Mrs. Cope gestured for Bella to wait a second before she turned and walked over to a slightly opened door, knocking on the edge slightly.

"Bella Swan is here but it doesn't look like she has a schedule." Bella could faintly make out the sound of someone responding, surprised when Mrs. Cope looked back over at her and waved her hand, motioning for her to come over. "Bella, this is Principal Cullen. She just has a couple of questions for you to make sure you're in the right classes."

Everyone will admit to having some sort of vision of what authority figures should look like. Bella was not ashamed to say her image of a high school principal usually involved glasses, a suit, and being somewhere in their 40s. It did not involve a smiling, perfectly made up face with fashion forward blonde hair and designer clothing, and therefore it took her a bit of a second to reconcile the fact that this 30-something woman leaning against a rather beautiful desk was the principal in question.

"Good morning Bella. Welcome to Forks High. Sit down please, I just want to go over a few things with you." Dr. Cullen's smile was bright and welcoming, nothing at all like the principals Bella had dealt with in school before. Her mother had never had anything but annoyance with the school administrators she had worked with over the years and Bella had made it a habit not to do anything that got her on familiar terms with anyone in authority. Dr. Cullen, however, had an aura about her that made you want to talk to her. As Bella sat down in a chair in front of the principal's desk, she shifted her bag into her lap.

"I hope I haven't already done something wrong before I've even started here." Dr. Cullen laughed as she moved back behind her desk, lowering herself into the plush leather chair facing Bella and shifting into what most people would describe as a business face.

"Oh no, nothing like that. I just wanted to check with you about a few of your classes. We have your transcripts from Arizona and everything looks in order, except our librarian doesn't take on student helpers, so I've put you into an art class for your elective since you seem to have taken a few already and done well. You also need another year of a foreign language, so I went ahead and enrolled you in a Spanish class. Does that all sound fine with you?"

"Yeah, definitely, it all sounds great."

"Well good then, it's all settled." Her smile was back again and with it Bella felt at ease. "You're officially a student at Forks! I'm so happy you'll be with us for the next year and a half. I'm sure you'll find everyone very excited to meet you, but should you have any problems at all, just let me know."

"I will. Thank you for setting everything up for me."

"Oh it's what I'm here for. That and making sure no one releases anymore frogs in the building." Dr. Cullen stood up and gestured for Bella to move with her. Standing up too quickly, Bella knocked the chair over in the process, the crash startling them both.

"Oh my God, I'm so sorry." She attempted to move to pick the chair up, but her bag swung around, throwing her off balance. Quickly Dr. Cullen moved to steady her, but as soon as her hands touched Bella's shoulders she felt a shock of static electricity unlike one she'd never felt before. Dr. Cullen pulled away and Bella caught a look of shock on her face before she schooled her features once more, taking on an amused expression.

"We've got such dry air in this building, I swear we have enough static in here to power the town for a month! Sorry about that. Hopefully the new HVAC system will help out with that." Letting the subject drop, Bella went to fix the chair again, but a hand on her shoulder again stopped her. "Why don't I take care of the chair and you head on to class, hmm?" As Bella nodded, Dr. Cullen turned around and pulled two pieces of paper off her desk. One showed Bella's schedule and the other a map of the high school with several classrooms highlighted. She handed the young girl the papers, explaining she'd gone ahead and numbered her classrooms by where they fell in her day. As she walked Bella out into the main office, Dr. Cullen continued to talk with her. "Sorry for all the construction by the way. School board had a large donation to help us upgrade the high 't make for the most pleasant learning experience, but it will get there eventually."

"I'm sure I'll have a great time. Thank you again for this," Bella waved the papers up, "and for, um, protecting us from frogs." From her desk across the room, Mrs. Cope giggled while Dr. Cullen just smiled brighter.

"All in a day's work. Have a great first day." Nodding, Bella put her hand on the main door and started to leave, only stopped by the older woman speaking again. "Oh, and Bella, stop by at the end of the day. I want to make sure your classes all worked out."

"Sure. I will."

Rebecca kept up the smiling façade as she watched Bella walkaway, making sure to agree with Shelly as she remarked what a nice girl the Chief's daughter seemed. Once she was back in her office and staring at the overturned chair, however, her mood turned pensive and not just a little apprehensive. Moving to sort out the mess, she couldn't help but mutter to herself.

"Well, there goes my hope for a quiet semester."


End file.
